For Somber Community, Mining Is Worth the Risks

ROCK CREEK, W.Va. (April 7) -- The barbershop was solemn, as were barber Mark Aliff and his client, Milton Aliff. The two brothers, both born and raised in Rock Creek, reflected the mood of a community that has just lost 25 of its friends, family and neighbors.

"I cut their hair," Mark Aliff said of the 25 miners killed in Monday's explosion at the Upper Big Branch coal mine. Four others are missing.

Holding out a hand near his knee, Mark continued, "One of the boys, I cut his hair since he was this big -- since his daddy brought him up here. It's like a family, a bunch of brothers."

Milton agreed. "To tell the truth, a crew of coal miners is like a group of men over in Iraq. You are very tight with your group."

Milton used to work in the Upper Big Branch mine.

"You have to trust your life with the guy working beside you down there," he said.

While the men trust each other, trusting mining companies like Massey Energy is another matter.

"A lot of people really resent Massey Energy as a whole," Milton said. "There are many ups and downs that I don't see as justified except for by the bottom line. They will hire a group of men this month and lay them off the next."

The men hired, he added, are often making more money than they ever have in their lives -- and it is a strong incentive.

Zach Mullins, 18, Travis Smith, 19, and James Brooks, 32, all of Wyoming County, agreed that payday is the reason they venture into the mines again and again. Smith and Brooks have families to support.

"I had a scholarship to go to West Virginia University to play football," said Smith, who graduated last spring from Wyoming East High School. "I ended up tearing my ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] and having a baby."

He and the others know the dangers of working in the mine and knew some of the men killed in the Upper Big Branch mine. Making a living and supporting a family, however, are important enough to take the risks.

"These men, I think sacrifice is the right word to use here because they know what they are going up against every day," Milton Aliff said. "People understand that coal mining is inherently dangerous, but I think that the community feels like if the guidelines had been followed, this explosion should not have happened."

At the same time, coal is the lifeblood of the community.

"I make my living from the men that work for Massey," Mark Aliff said. "And Massey has said that they will give $1 million to build a new school for the community that will be out of any danger from the mines. That's being a good neighbor."

He added that the company has also helped build playgrounds and given children in the community gifts at Christmas.

"And if we didn't have the mines, then there would be nothing," Milton said. "Everything dries up and becomes a ghost town."